a little background on me, I am a first generation American which means both of my parents were born in a far away land. specifically, Nigeria. I feel like I can identify with a lot of my mixed race friends, because my siblings and I grew up with two cultures. at a younger age, this was something I resented. it was so hard for me in primary and secondary school, and the majority of my peers were black. you're probably wondering "uhhh so are you.. soo.. what's the problem there?" I think they expected me to look, act, and think like them, and that was far from the case. I struggled to find people I really identified with because I was nothing like the people who looked like me. I actually didn't realize this was the root of all my internal struggles until college (culture is super important, people!)
anyway, I am now a college graduate! (CONFETTI) I studied psychology ...maybe that's another reason I was able to arrive at my AH-HA moment.. I am now in grad school wanting to be an art therapist. I hope to incorporate an understanding of culture in my practice, because I believe it's thuper duper important to know where you come from if you want to find out where you're going.
ok, end sidebar, now about ankara.
gah, it's so fun and colorful. it's typically made out of cotton and has a waxy finish sometimes. it was originally made in Europe by the Dutch for Indonesian textiles. the material mistakenly gained more popularity and interest in west Africa (where I'm from) than Indonesia and now is a major symbol of africaaa. I love it.
there are many other types of traditional fabric, but ankara is one that is used informally for everyday wear. this is why I thought it would make sense to incorporate it into my blog's name. I'm here to talk about ways we can be inspired to style, make art, music, and be creative every day. i'm very influenced by my culture, as my love and curiosity for it has only grown. I hope that little history lesson wasn't too boring;)
recently (I think around '10) there was a huge emergence of ankara on the runway. I was SO excited to see this embrace of something I've always known and grown up with. it's like how we see oaxacan dresses, peasant dresses, kimonos, ect. I hope to see ankara embraced internationally a whole lot more in the future. it's a beautiful thing to get to witness at my age. I know a decade ago, it would not have been so much as thought about in this country because of our history with America. on a much happier note, here are a few stunning photos of current ways I've seen ankara in the mainstream!
seriously. just, wow. so mad at myself for not embracing this friggin amazing culture sooner. I mean, I was swooning just going through all these. I guess it's all a part of personal growth - learning to embrace the path you came from and not only that, but being able to say you wouldn't have it any other way.
here's how some celeb beauties have been styling ankara:
as if I didn't already think gwen was the epitome of badassness.. she starting a whole line of clothes made with ankara! an L.A.M.B. collection - czech it out!
queen B and solange wear it. WELL.
and so many more!
ok ok I'll stop. I have a slight obsession:)
I encourage you to do a little digging on your culture, whether you feel like you're bursting with culture or not. more than likely, you'll be amazed at what you find.
